


The Card

by yoroyazu



Category: Gintama
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22660099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoroyazu/pseuds/yoroyazu
Summary: A card on Valentine's Day is supposed to be romantic and cheesy. Gintoki thought otherwise.
Relationships: Hijikata Toshirou/Sakata Gintoki
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	The Card

Gintoki knew his friends meant it as a dare. They told him that it would be absolutely hysterical if he sent an anonymous flower to the closeted kid in their class. It was apparent to everyone that the kid was gay. Gintoki knew that the kid knew it himself. However, what the kid didn’t know was the fact that everyone else around him knew too. It was never mentioned toward him that everyone knew about it, but he kept it secret nonetheless. The Valentine’s day flower fundraiser was really only for girls to send to their valentines, but there was no rule against Gintoki sending one. Sure, it meant throwing social etiquette out of the window, but Gintoki never was one for social etiquette in these types of situations. In most cases, he viewed Valentine’s Day as a cheap way to get girls to confess their feelings toward their suitors.

If Gintoki was asked if he expected any flowers from some girls this year, he wouldn’t lie and say he didn’t expect any. He knew the one would, but the other two whose feelings weren’t as apparent as Ayame’s would too. Tae had a tendency to abuse him whenever he would say something bitter or perverted to  her. He knew he deserved it, but it didn’t stop him from being upset. Tsukuyo, on the other hand, hid her slight crush on him, but still, it was apparent to him before she actually told him one time in the past. He changed topics quickly after her confession. He couldn’t bear to break someone’s heart by instantly shutting down the idea of dating, so he felt that changing the subject would be a softer blow. Since then, Tsukuyo kept her crush hidden, but her eyes tended to linger in his direction any time she was around him. Of course, when she realized that his eye caught hers, her eyes would veer straight ahead of her.

Gintoki stared down at the little card that he was meant to write out who it was for. He acted as though he was having a hard time deciding on who to send it to, but he knew immediately who he was sending it to - with no help from his friends. They weren’t around, but they wouldn’t hesitate to egg him on to send it to the kid if they were. Even though his friends dared him to send the flower, he intended to send it to him before his friends decided to “dare” him to do so. His feelings were hidden. Standing at the table, his eyes peered around him, just to be on the safe side that the kid was nowhere around. The last thing Gintoki wanted was to be found out right off the bat. Watching the kid squirm from getting a Valentine’s Day flower with no name attached to it, while it was well-intended, gave Gintoki a little bit of joy. The discomfort of not knowing who exactly it was from would undoubtedly make the kid feel uncomfortable and exposed. Of course, Gintoki’s chicken-scratch handwriting would only heighten the kid’s fear of his secret being disclosed. 

Putting pen to paper, Gintoki scribbled a confession on the card and sealed it up in the envelope that wouldn’t be open until the fourteenth of February. He didn’t even know the kinds of flowers that were going to be sent out with the cards, but he didn’t really care. He finally got his feelings out toward his crush when he had no courage to do it out loud.

Saying it was a crush was an understatement, though. Gintoki’s eyes lingered at the back of the kid’s head during class all day almost every day. He honestly didn’t know how the kid didn’t get the feeling of being watched every given hour of the school day, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to feel the kid’s skin against his, whether that was holding his hand or in another lewd way that he’d been dreaming of as of late. He wondered if the feeling of his skin against his would be just as intoxicating as the lingering scent of cigarettes that the kid smelled of every day. He couldn’t imagine it would be even a remotely bad thing but a rather pleasant thing that he was more than willing to try out. He pulled his lip in, rolled it under his top teeth, and stuck his tongue out in a way that suggested that he was thinking of something dirty. He clearly was, but he walked away after handing over the card. He was more than thrilled, knowing that his secret feelings he had for so long were finally “out in the open”, at least toward the recipient of those feelings. He didn’t really find the necessity to tell neither his friends nor the rest of the school how he felt about the kid.

With the card ready to be given, Gintoki went back to the classroom and took a seat at his desk. He passed most of his lunchtime while scribbling his half-assed confession. He had no hopes whatsoever on whether or not the kid would respond warmly to his confession, but surely, his friends would undoubtedly get a kick out of it. Of course, they didn’t know his feelings toward the kid, so when he would read the card and surely get embarrassed, they’ll more than likely howl with laughter. Gintoki likely wouldn’t laugh, as his confession was real, not a cruel joke that his friends think it is.

“Kintoki, did you do it?” Tatsuma pestered Gintoki for a reply, nudging his elbow into his side.

“I keep telling you my name is  _ Gin _ toki” Gintoki exclaimed rather loudly for being indoors, but the irritation from being called ‘Kintoki’ overpowered his common sense to keep it quiet inside the building. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Yes, I wrote the card. Any other questions?”

Shinsuke only rolled his eyes at the laziest answer Gintoki could have given. “Yeah, what exactly did you write?” He waved his hand for Gintoki to continue, but he didn’t seem to pay much mind to what Gintoki said afterward.

“You know. The usual stuff when a girl confesses to a guy. ‘Oh, I’ve had a crush on you all year, and I think you’re so cute.’ That type of bullshit.” And with the end of his sentence, the teacher rushed into the classroom, hushed the students, and urged them to take their seats. Gintoki paid no mind to the teacher, only fixating his eyes on a much more delectable target. 

The boy with straight black hair that made Gintoki extremely envious sat diagonally from him. Even though they were in proximity to each other but weren’t exactly close, the scent of cigarettes was still pungent. He must have returned from smoking outside. Students weren’t supposed to sneak off-campus for any reason, but the boy didn’t seem to mind the idea of getting into trouble for leaving campus or even smoking. Gintoki didn’t mind that he smoked; in fact, he was honestly glad his intoxicating smell did wonders to the dopamine rush that always occurred whenever Gintoki smelled the smoke radiate off of the boy for the first time every day. But while he savored the dopamine rush, he was getting antsy for the real deal: the taste of the boy’s lips on his in a passionate kiss that neither one would think was possible. The idea had been lingering at the back of Gintoki’s mind since the very beginning of his crush. Of course, that was only a few months ago because the boy had just moved to the city from the countryside.

Gintoki stopped paying attention to the teacher entirely and focused his thoughts and energy on the boy, his thoughts becoming dirtier with every second that passed. It wasn’t until the teacher called the boy’s name that snapped him back to reality. Toshirou was a lovely name to Gintoki, and he didn’t quite seem to hate it. The teacher asked a question toward Toshirou, and he answered almost too quickly to realize what he said. As much as Gintoki paid attention to not only Toshirou but the fantasies of Toshirou moaning his name below him, he didn’t pay attention to the intelligence that Toshirou showed off with every answer he gave each teacher. He was definitely one of the brightest students in the school and was undoubtedly destined for great things, but Gintoki didn’t seem to pay mind to that. All he thought of were his dirty thoughts and what he would rather do to Toshirou in private.

With the fantasies at the forefront of his mind, he could feel himself grow. He shifted in his seat, trying his best to adjust himself so that his erection wouldn’t be too noticeable, but he figured that he wouldn’t be able to hide it in the first place. Hearing a loud screech from Gintoki’s chair, Toshirou turned around to pinpoint the location of the noise, but to his surprise, he caught Gintoki’s eye staring right back, and a smirk grew on Gintoki’s lips. Gintoki briefly asked the teacher if he could go to the restroom, in hopes that he could relieve himself. Still, he kept himself hidden enough, so the object of his affection wouldn’t seem him at full salute. Not that he would know that the dirty thoughts were aimed at him in the first place.

* * *

February fourteenth came quicker than Gintoki honestly expected, and the moment of truth as to whether or not the object of his affection would take kindly to his confession would occur sometime during the school day. The anxiety kept Gintoki awake all night, but honestly, he wasn’t all that tired. Wanting to get this done and over with was Gintoki’s forefront thought. He intended to tell the kid to meet him in the school’s courtyard after the student population left the school for the day. This was, of course, because he didn’t want to make a scene, and surely, Toshirou would appreciate the sentiment.

As the hours passed, the anxiety seemed to heighten with every passing minute. When would they be around to give the flowers? Will Toshirou be afraid when he gets the seemingly random confession, or will he be pleasantly surprised? All of these questions that Gintoki had did nothing but give him anxiety. His friends will get a good laugh out of it, but it was no laughing matter to him. His confession was genuine, and he has had it for quite a while. This only gave him the perfect opportunity to deal with it, so that way, he can either be rejected and move on or get together with his crush.

And before he knew it, the moment of truth arrived. The lanky girl from the table showed up at their classroom door in a rather festive fashion, bearing a halo and wings, along with announcing the names of the recipients and how many flowers they got. One by one, the recipients were announced and handed their flowers. The next name called was the one Gintoki has been looking forward to, despite his friends watching. He bit his lip as Toshirou’s name was called, and to Gintoki’s surprise, he received two flowers. Obviously, one was from Gintoki, but who gave him the other one? A pang of jealousy hit him - this meant that he would have to fight for Toshirou’s attention. Or maybe he wouldn’t have to. He guessed it all depended on who the flower was from. It could have easily been the girl who sat two rows over from Toshirou because she always gave him googly eyes.

He peered his eyes over to Toshirou, whose cheeks were flushed from the card that obviously came from Gintoki. A smirk grew on his lips, knowing he caught his prey, and it was in a way that he didn’t have to reveal his identity to the masses. Only a select few knew of his own sexual orientation, and they were sworn to secrecy. Not so much a willingly kept secret as he threatened everyone he told with a painful death if he caught wind of someone spilling the beans. He digressed otherwise. He licked his lips at the thought of the possibilities that could happen now, and he was more than pleased with the outcome. Now came the hard part: getting Toshirou to go out with him. When Toshirou realized that a man sent him that confession, things could easily go south, which was not the direction Gintoki wanted to go. He wanted to go to Nirvana... Or, in layman’s terms, Toshirou’s room alone with nobody home.

Lunchtime arrived, and Gintoki already wrote the note he would slip to Toshirou to tell him to go to the school’s courtyard after everyone had left. Waiting for the opportune moment to slip him the note, he clutched it in his hand. It wasn’t until all of his friends left, and Toshirou left as well. Other than those who weren’t paying attention, no one would realize that Gintoki slipped the note. The others were too busy talking and laughing with each other to really pay attention to what Gintoki was doing. Trying to be as stealthy as he can,  he waddled over to Toshirou’s desk, pretending that he was getting up for some other reason. On passing the desk, he dropped the folded piece of paper with the message. He didn’t think any other student saw him, but to make it less suspicious, he left the room and stood outside the door for a moment before immediately entering the classroom again. He took his seat and patiently waited for Toshirou to return. With his elbows on his desk and his hands in a clasp in front of his face, he waited for lunchtime to be over. He didn’t think to eat, not that he was hungry anyway. 

Slowly, Gintoki’s friends returned one by one. They were still talking about how funny it was for Toshirou to react the way he did about the pseudo-confession, or at least what they thought was. It aggravated Gintoki that they continued to believe it was a joke because  that was furthest from the truth. His crush was hidden from them, but it was reciprocated, something that Gintoki was hoping for, to begin with. A slight smile graced Gintok’s lips with the thought of his feelings being returned. He wondered if Toshirou knew who wrote the confession, and his heart palpitated at the idea of him knowing it was him. A racing heart was not what he wanted when Toshirou came back into the room because seeing him just made it worse than it already was. His pupils dilated slightly more when Toshriou walked back into the room, a prey that Gintoki hunted for. He peered out on his peripheral vision to watch Toshirou walk back into the classroom and took his seat, cautiously making sure that Toshirou didn’t catch him staring. A confrontation would be at the forefront if he blatantly gawked at him.

Continuing to peer at Toshirou, Gintoki watched him take the note and open it. The confused look on Toshirou’s face had Gintoki thinking that he didn’t know who could have given him the note. It had Gintoki wondering if he knew that it was someone in his class. It would be the only plausible conclusion he thought that Toshirou would come up with, but he kept his silence, now eager but also scared at the same time for the meeting. The fear almost paralyzed him to the point where he thought it would be in his best interest to just skip out and leave Toshirou wondering. The one part of him knew he got into this mess and wanted to see it through, and it was the stronger urge. He planned to see it through to the end.

* * *

The end of the day came at a crawl. Time didn’t seem to be forgiving toward Gintoki for setting up the meeting, but he didn’t want to back out now. Of course, he could, considering that he could skip out entirely and just leave his crush hanging, but an uncharacteristically found determination raged within Gintoki, leaving the adrenaline pumping through him. He wasn’t one to have any form of resolution within him, but it was there, clear as day. One by one, his friends left. He told them he’d catch up here in a while, not revealing his reasons for staying later. They shrugged it off, thinking that maybe he had supplemental lessons because of how bad his grades were.

Toshirou left in time, too. Perhaps he was heading for the shoe cubby to put his outside shoes on. Gintoki didn’t know for sure what Toshirou’s thought process was other than the fact that he was leaving for the day. Whether or not it was to meet up or just go straight home was up for debate. Gintoki paused for a moment before picking himself up off of his seat. Moseying his way down the hall and to the cubby, he had a rather nonchalant attitude toward the whole situation. He felt no need to be up in arms about it because it could only go one of two ways: Toshirou would either decline his offer to date, or he would wholeheartedly agree to it. Gintoki couldn’t foresee it going any other way.

Stepping in front of the shoe cubby, he opened his and put his shoes back on. Now was the moment of truth: revealing his identity as the secret admirer, and then asking Toshirou out. He hoped for the best but expected the worst. He may have hoped for the best, but he didn’t expect it to pan out the way he wants it to.

Pacing himself, he embraced the cold the moment he stepped out of the door. His coat did nothing to shield him from the cold, but he persevered. The winds were unforgiving as he walked toward the school courtyard. Perhaps he should have asked to meet Toshirou in the gymnasium or something to the likes of that. The library, maybe, but in fear that the entire student body wasn’t gone, he felt the courtyard would be the best option.

The cold nipped at Gintoki’s already red nose as he inched toward his destination. With the courtyard coming into view, he scanned the area for Toshirou but realized that he was nowhere to be found, but once he looked in the window of the door opposite of him, he realized that Toshirou decided that it was too cold to stand outside to wait. Toshirou emerged from the door when Gintoki stopped on the grass. He peered at Gintoki with his eyes slightly squinted. “You dropped me that note?” Toshirou scoffed at Gintoki. He was tricked into this situation.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, he tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, I did. I’m the one who sent you the mysterious flower, if you haven’t picked that up already.”

Toshirou snorted at the thought. “Yeah, I did, but why?”

Gintoki scrapped his foot against the ground. “Because I like you, you twit.” His heart pounded in his throat as he said that. He wasn’t one to get nervous, but to admit that straight to the source of his sexual frustration, naturally, he would feel uneasy.

Toshirou was taken back for a moment, more than likely from being called a twit rather than the confession of love, but he kept his poker face nonetheless. “Well, this was a waste of time.” He waved off, starting to walk back into the building.

“Why? You’re gay; you should be thrilled there’s another man that likes you.” Gintoki decided against beating around the bush. Doing that was needless, and it would just prolong the encounter.

With his hand on the bar on the door, he spun his head around and gave Gintoki a death-stare. “I’m not gay!” His voice hitched at the end, signaling his denial was untrue.

“Get real. Everyone fucking knows,  _ Oogushi-kun _ . We all know about that kid from your hometown,” Gintoki spoke out of line.

Toshirou spun around and sprinted in Gintoki’s direction, and when he reached him, he grabbed Gintoki by the coat’s collar. “How the  _ fuck _ did you find out about  _ that _ .” It wasn’t a question; it was a demand. There was nothing subtle about it at all. Rage burned in his eyes, a fury that only slightly intimidated Gintoki.

Cracking a half-open smile and hopeful eyes, Gintoki raised his hands in surrender. “Oi, Oogushi-kun, you’re real cute with your vein poking out of your forehead.”

“The only reason you sent that ‘confession’ was to announce your sexual fantasies about me without you exclaiming  it to the class!”

Shifting his smile to the side, Gintoki lowered his hands to snake them around Toshirou’s waist. “Perhaps, or maybe it’s because I like you, and I didn’t want the whole school to know.”

Toshirou let go of Gintoki’s collar and tried to force Gintoki’s arms off of him, but he found that Gintoki had a firm grip. “Can you let go of me?” He asked, pushing his hands against Gintoki’s chest, who brought his head closer to Toshirou’s ear.

Gintoki leaned in, his lips close enough to breathe on Toshirou’s ear. “C’mon. Go out with me. Just once.”

Hearing such a sultry voice say that made the hair on the back of Toshirou’s neck stand up. He ungripped Gintoki’s hands and pushed him away from him. “No. I’m not fucking gay.” He began to walk away when Gintoki screamed.

“I’ll just ask you again, and every time you say no, I’ll make it even more embarrassing than the last!” Gintoki was breathless after that sentence as the screaming took its toll on his lungs because of how cold it was. “Consider this your warning!” Toshirou huffed and walked back into the building.

Gintoki’s crooked smile grinned, and he started laughing. He expected the worst, but he did not expect the object of his sexual affection to completely flat out deny his own sexuality, even after being called out on it.

The entire student body knew about that kid Toshirou was in love with back in his hometown. Gintoki couldn’t remember the kid’s name for the life of him. The girl, who sent Toshirou the second flower, came from the same town several months earlier mentioned the kid’s name, but since Gintoki called him a gorilla, the kid’s name escaped him. He didn’t mind that because it wasn’t all that important. But still, even after being called out, Toshirou denied his own sexual orientation. He rejected that girl’s feelings with what seemed like no regret, and after telling her his sexual orientation, it spread like wildfire through the class. Of course, no one said anything to him, but that didn’t stop a select few to giggle at him, no matter how harsh or disrespectful it was to do so. 

In spite of the current situation, it only lit a fire under Gintoki’s ass to think of embarrassing ways to ask Toshirou out. A cruel smile curled on his lips as he walked away from the courtyard to his home. He had some thinking to do.

* * *

After a week of  _ almost _ harassing Toshirou, keyword being  _ almost _ , Gintoki was losing hope on getting him to change his mind, but he had one last ploy. It was a hail mary, to say the least. If this didn’t work, he didn’t know what else would. 

Gintoki stepped into the PA room of the school and locked the door behind him. Of course, he didn’t get permission to be there, but he was sneaky enough to not get caught. Taking a deep breath, he switched on the microphone. He could already feel the mortified feeling being outed to the entire school after keeping his own sexual orientation a secret for most of his schooling career, but in a last-ditch effort to get the object of his sexual affection to go out with him, he felt the need to throw his own dignity into the toilet. “Y’know, guys. Valentine’s Day just passed, right?” He began to say nonchalantly, contrasting his own nervousness about exposing himself to the student body, and erased every verbal sign of his anxiety. “Well, I sent this guy a flower and asked him to meet me in the courtyard about a week back, and he rejected me. Hijikata Toshirou, are you listening?” Gintoki’s deep scruffy voice almost growled when he said Toshirou’s name. Gintoki could hear the teachers banging on the door to get him to come out, but he persisted. “If you’re listening, which I know you are because I saw you in class this morning, would you  _ finally _ go out with me now that I’ve even exposed  _ my _ deepest darkest secret.”

He paused, waiting for him to somehow give him an answer, even though he knew that he was still in the classroom. “Fine, I’ll go out with you! Now, would you come out of there and stop embarrassing me?” Toshirou growled on the other side of the door. An incredibly smug Gintoki emerged from the PA room with a shit-eating grin on his face only to face an infuriated Toshirou. He knew precisely why Toshirou was mad, but his smugness didn’t let that faze him one bit. He thought that Toshirou must have felt compelled to come to the PA room whenever he heard his name called on the loudspeaker.

“Aw, how sweet of you, Oogushi-kun. You finally decided to accept my proposition.”

Toshirou gritted his teeth but, then, admitted the truth. “I was going to agree to it if you asked me again.” His teeth remained clenched while he spoke. “I just didn’t know you were being serious that you liked me.”

“Come on, Sakata-san, we’re going to the principal’s office,” the teacher next to Toshirou, who must have been the one banging on the door to let him in, spoke authoritatively.

Continuing to smirk, Gintoki shrugged his shoulders, rolled his eyes toward Toshirou, and waved him off. “We’ll set a date in class!” He walked off with the teacher in the direction of the principal’s office.

* * *

A few years passed since the incident, and, somehow, Gintoki got off scot-free. Nevermind the damage the persona that he w ore at school took, but he got what he wanted. His friends felt strange around him afterward, but he didn’t care. Hehonestly didn’t care about the friends he had in the first place, so if getting Toshirou to go out with him meant dirtying his own friendships in the meanwhile, so be it. Not to mention that they drifted away whenever they graduated and started college anyway. 

With how big the city of Tokyo was, he was surprised to find out that Toshirou and his brother only moved mere blocks away from Gintoki. For a lazy person such as Gintoki, it couldn’t have been more of a dream come true. His crush lived so close to him that he could walk to and from school with him every day if he pleased. Surprisingly, after the first date, Toshirou hesitated at first, but he ultimately agreed to a second date, and then, a third after the second. After a few more dates, Gintoki finally asked Toshirou if he would be his boyfriend, to which Toshirou agreed. Gintoki couldn’t have been more pleased with how the situation turned out, regardless if he threw his reputation out the window.

Stepping in front of Toshirou’s apartment building, he pulled out his cell phone and shot Toshirou a text stating he was waiting outside for him. When they were in their last year before college, they ultimately thought they had to split up. However, Toshirou briefly mentioned how he was attending the university closest to their home. But surprise, surprise, Gintoki decided on that school, too. It was pure coincidence, but nonetheless, Gintoki was rather thrilled about it, and from what he saw of Toshirou, he was also pleased.

His phone alerted him of a text message. Unlocking his phone, he opened the text message from Toshirou, saying that he would be down in a moment. A slight smile curled onto Gintoki’s lips. In the long run, he apologized to Toshirou for basically outing him to the student body, but Toshirou accepted that his “secret” was already well known in the school. While he accepted the apology, he felt there was no need for it.

After Toshirou came out of his apartment building, Gintoki and he made their way through the town to the nearest izakaya, which wasn’t too far, but it was still quite a walk from Toshirou’s apartment building. They passed buildings upon buildings, making small talk on the way there. It wasn’t before long that they entered the izakaya. They were greeted warmly by the staff and took their usual seat in this particular izakaya. Once they sat down, the usual bickering occurred, but that wasn’t something out of the normal, and it would only progressively get worse, the drunker they get.

For as much time as they spend at school and with what little money they had, they spent most of their free time with each other, either drinking or studying. Toshirou’s grades were good, so he studied enough to keep his grades where they were at. Gintoki’s grades suffered, however, mainly from his lack of care to study. Still, what he had kept him afloat enough to pass his classes, so he didn’t put any further effort into his academics than he had to. 

After getting the sake they ordered and whatever snacks were on the menu that they haven’t gorged themselves on already, it wasn’t long before they were too drunk to remember where they were at or even how to get home. They would manage, though. They always did, and this time would be no different than the last.

After a while, they decided to leave the izakaya and make their way to whoever’s apartment that they’d spend the night at. They discussed living together, and as much as that would make both of them happy, they decided they would wait until after they were done with school. However, they still ended up at one or the other’s apartment for the night. One night, it would be Gintoki’s. The next would be Toshirou’s. Not that they complained, though. Sometimes they needed a change in scenery to keep things spicy after being together for four years.

The end of their final year was in sight, and they were soaking up as much fun as they could before Toshirou would likely slave his life away, considering how much studying he put into his academics. It made Gintoki wonder if Toshirou would ever be home to spend time together, but they didn’t discuss how it would impact their current relationship.

In the current moment, without a care in the world, they burst through the doors of Toshirou’s apartment building, drunkenly mauling each other with sloppy wet kisses. It was amazing that they were coordinated enough to walk up the stairs with the way they were on top of each other. However, once they made it into Toshirou’s apartment, their consciousness faded away.

* * *

When Gintoki came to the next day, the birds chirped their morning song, and the sun was high in the sky, signaling it was way past the time they were supposed to be up. Well, they didn’t have to wake up at any specific point in time, but it was past the time they  _ should _ get up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and turned over to face Toshirou, who was still soundly asleep. He took his hand and brushed the hair out of Toshirou’s eyes, only thinking of how lucky he could be to end up with him. 

Reflecting back on the past four years, Gintoki reflected on the good and bad in their relationship and on the many times they were on the verge of breaking up, but they persevered nonetheless. It wasn’t the dream relationship that he always dreamed up, but it was enough. He’d reckon more than enough, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Sure they fought. It was like they already were a married couple who have been together for decades rather than the four short years they were together.

With the brush of his hair against his face, Toshirou stirred awake, slowly opening his eyes to see who was brushing his hair out of his face, even though he knew who it was already. “What’re you doing, perm-head?” Toshirou said groggily, yawning in the process. “Watching me sleep?”

“Only out of affection.”

“Oh, so you’re plotting to kill me?”

Gintoki pouted. “Yes, that exactly.”

“Guess I’ll have to watch my back then.” A faint smile grew on Toshirou’s lips until it became a full-on grin. “Now, for real, why’re you watching me sleep?”

Gintoki twiddled his fingers, trying to find the courage to ask him the dying question he’s been meaning to ask for a few months now. It was now or never, or at least he thought it was. “So, like, we’ve been together for a while now, y’know?”

Toshirou squinted his eyes and said, “Yeah? So?”

Gintoki rolled over onto his belly and leaned up onto his elbows. “Well… I thought we could like… make it official.” He muttered the final few words through puckered lips, slightly in hopes that Toshirou wouldn’t have heard him. His nerves were shot. He couldn’t brave through asking Toshirou to marry him without hushing through the final words.

Relaxing his eyes slightly, he asked, “What was that again?” The muttering made it impossible for Toshirou to decipher what Gintoki was saying. He had an idea of what he said, but he didn’t know how accurate it was.

“Iwasthinkingwecouldmakeitofficial,” Gintoki said slightly louder but at the same time at a pace that made his words blur together.

Placing a hand on Gintoki’s head, Toshirou had quite an affectionate eye on him and said, “Can you say that a little bit louder?” He knew what Gintoki said, but he nonetheless wanted to hear it again.

“Will you marry me, you stupid nicotine freak!?” Forcing the words out, Gintoki screamed at the top of his lungs. Several dogs barked after Gintoki raised his voice, and the upstairs neighbor began to pound his foot on the floor, shouting obscenities and telling them to keep their voices down.

Toshirou raised an eyebrow. “Are you happy now? You disturbed the neighbors.”

Unable to calm his voice, Gintoki screamed out, “Well, you’re so deaf you can’t even hear a simple question!”

“You whispered it to the point I couldn’t hear you! How was I supposed to accept if I can’t even hear the question in the first place?”

“Oh, so you’re saying yes now? Well, I’m taking it back now!”

Toshirou could only roll his eyes. “No, you won’t. Don’t lie to me.”

Gintoki only pouted and rolled into Toshirou’s chest. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

Toshirou’s hand continued to lay on Gintoki’s head as he cuddled up against him. “Marry you, I guess.”

“Sounds nice. Let’s do it.” Gintoki wrapped an arm around Toshirou’s side and nuzzled his face against his chest.

They lay there for a while, enjoying each other’s presence, before deciding to start their day. Gintoki didn’t know if their relationship would last forever, but for now, Gintoki wanted to enjoy the ride of life with Toshirou by his side, a feeling that he had since the moment he met him all those years ago. Sure, it started out as sexual fantasies featuring Toshirou, but dating him made Gintoki realize that he loved him past those fantasies, and he imagined a life with him in it, not a one and done fling that he sort of initially wanted, but Toshirou wouldn’t give that to him. Not that Gintoki minded in the first place. It was a ship that he wanted to sail on now that the last four years have passed.

At the heart of it all, his rosy view of the world was a blessing in disguise, and what could stop them now? Two lives intertwined from a single event. Gintoki smiled. Maybe Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, guys.
> 
> As for an update, chapter 5 is almost done, but soon, I won't have as much writing time as I've had because some of my friends and I started a board game group, and I'm also starting a D&D campaign here within the next few weeks, so my free time won't be as free as it was. I'll still write! Please don't get me wrong. I just won't have as much time as I have right now. Plus, Animal Crossing comes out pretty soon, plus Persona 5 Royal, so those will both be a time suck. But I'll try to get as much writing done as I possibly can for right now before I start getting too involved in other things. Updates may or may not be slower as time goes on.
> 
> Either way, hope you guys enjoyed this! Thanks for reading!


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